A wave of strange fluctuations spread. That heavenly gate suddenly exploded!
It was gorgeous like fireworks and stunning like the multicolored light of the morning sun. It looked so beautiful, and it was full of five colors. It suddenly erupted, and a rain of light streaked across the sky like a meteorite.
That gate exploded, accompanied by a rain of blood and scales. It was destroyed from the void, heading toward destruction.
Shi Hao saw everything clearly. A wave of coldness rose within him. Was it so dangerous to go to the lower realm? It was clear that someone died, creating a wave of divine might.
The only fortunate thing was that the distance was far enough, and the crack was in the sky. Otherwise, the lofty mountains would have been turned into dust.
"Why did it explode? Is it not strong enough?" Shi Hao asked.
After a moment of silence, the little pagoda sneered and said, "Do you think it's that easy to come down? Everyone has to pay a price. That one has most likely been set up."
"Did a great figure die?" Shi Hao asked.
"How could a great figure die so easily? Most likely, all of his previous efforts would have been in vain, resulting in the death of a capable subordinate." According to what the little pagoda said, a great figure from the higher realms was astonishing and not easy to kill.
This involved the conflicts of the higher realms, which were extremely dangerous. They fought openly and secretly, using all types of methods. A single mistake and they would be consigned to eternal damnation.
In the following days, divine light would appear from time to time in the distance. Those were great cracks in the void, creating an extremely strange phenomenon. It alarmed many cultivators in the wasteland region, making everyone panic.
This was a sign of the great calamity. Everyone knew that a great storm was about to begin!
All the supreme experts became silent. They either fled into the outer regions or hid in the abyss to seal themselves. They all displayed their secret techniques to protect themselves.
"Just what kind of existences are coming down?" Shi Hao asked.
"I don't know!" The little pagoda shook its head.
Shi Hao frowned. The creatures of the higher realms were so terrifying. If they all wanted to come down, then this boundless earth would be overturned and destroyed.
The little pagoda sighed and gave an explanation. It said that someone was just trying to come down. If they were detected by the higher realms' laws, or if they were discovered by the ancient inheritances, they would be severely restricted and crushed into ashes.
"The great Dao is boundless, like a great abyss. It's immeasurable, operating on its own," Willow Deity spoke. Under normal circumstances, it was difficult for anyone to come down from the higher realms because they were restricted by the laws of heaven and earth. Only at special times could they use strange secret methods to enter the lower realms.
Those who could come down were naturally not ordinary creatures. They all had terrifying backgrounds.
"What is there in this realm that is worth a few people taking risks to enter the lower realm?" Shi Hao asked.
"There are naturally good things. Ever since a taboo existence perished in this world, it made people want to investigate even more," the little pagoda said.
An obscure and indescribable aura appeared in this world, making one's heart beat faster and faster. Everyone knew that what was supposed to come was going to come in the end. All of the cultivators felt uneasy.
During these past few days, Shi Hao had always been calm and cultivating in the village. From time to time, he would consult the great figures at his side.
"Willow Deity, the great calamity is about to arrive, and I am already fifteen years old. Is there going to be another baptism?" Shi Hao asked.
Under normal circumstances, when one was five, ten, and fifteen, they would all undergo a baptism to open up their physical treasury. For the sake of better cultivation in the future, this was a necessary foundation.
"There's no need. You've always been breaking through the limits, relying on your own strength to take a crucial step. You did well, so you don't need these things anymore," Willow Deity said.
Based on what it said, Shi Hao was continuously releasing his greatest potential. He didn't need to seal himself in the cauldron to refine at all, nor did he need the Willow Deity to take action again.
If he continued with the baptism, it would strain his own body. He had been frantically releasing his potential all these years and had reached the forefront of this path.
Willow Deity warned him to let nature take its course. His current path was very good, and everything was on the right track. He only needed to firmly move forward, paying attention to the naturalness of cultivation methods.
Shi Hao polished his body, seeking perfection. He cultivated diligently in Stone Village for half a month, observing heaven and earth from time to time. He saw many mysterious irregular scenes.
He wasn't shocked. He calmed down to comprehend the great Dao and cultivating methods. He even tried to open the beast skin he obtained from the Void God Realm several times, wishing to cultivate the ancient great method.
The two words "Six Dao" were very tempting. He hoped to see them as soon as possible so that he could cultivate his own divine ability. Only then would he have the capital to settle down during the world's great changes.
"Hey, why do I feel like there is someone calling to me from Stone Village's territory?" Shi Hao was extremely confused.
Originally, he wanted to lay low in the village and calmly wait for the great calamity to pass, but now, he had such an indescribable comprehension, making him feel a bit doubtful. He found something was off as if he was going to miss out on something.
"Your senses aren't wrong. This means that you have somehow made a connection with the Great Dao," The little pagoda said. The great calamity was extremely dangerous, but there were also great opportunities.
The world was unstable, and profound mysteries would appear. Great figures would fall, transforming into knowledge in this world. If others sensed this, then that would be a heavenly fate.
Shi Hao was at a loss. Should he go out or not?
He wasn't a supreme expert, so he shouldn't be noticed. However, this didn't mean that he was safe. There might be all types of unexpected dangers.
"You can decide for yourself," Willow Deity said softly.
"I want to go out to witness this great calamity, see what exactly is going on." Shi Hao made this choice.
"You have to think things through carefully. Once you leave, you might never be able to enter again. I might even bring Stone Village into seclusion and leave this place." The Willow Deity's voice was calm.
It was clear that it wasn't its goal. It wanted to rest and recuperate, so it wouldn't participate in any battles. It wanted to completely seal up this village and disappear from this world.
Shi Hao relaxed. He believed that Stone Village would definitely be safe, so he didn't have much to worry about. As long as he was careful outside, he didn't have to worry about the villagers.
"I've thought it through," he said.
"You might be gone for several years, perhaps even tens or hundreds of years. It'll be difficult for you to return during this period of time. I'll teach you a method," Willow Deity said.
When Shi Hao heard this, he became excited. The Willow Deity's power was unquestionable. Its precious technique would definitely shake the world, and it would naturally become his great defensive divine ability.
A sparkling and translucent willow branch reached over. It tapped the space between his brows, releasing holy radiance, which slowly surrounded him.
Soon after, this willow branch turned into a faint golden color. It was like a golden willow branch, extremely mysterious. Moreover, there were ripples circulating about, surging toward the space between his brows.
Those were golden symbols that spread out like ripples and were full of great aura. They were specks of gold, extremely magnificent and extraordinary.
Shi Hao's mind and body were clear. He concentrated on receiving the cultivation methods. Symbols gathered one after another, ultimately turning into the most primitive symbols.
This was precisely Willow Deity's precious technique. After tens of thousands of transformations, they ultimately merged into one, displaying the simplicity of the great Dao! However, if one wanted to comprehend it, they had to break it down and gradually deduce it. This was a tremendous project.
The willow branch withdrew. Shi Hao suddenly opened his eyes. He knew that he most likely wouldn't be able to comprehend it right now. Willow Deity had also said that he should comprehend it after his cultivation realm was a bit higher.
Different cultivation methods had different requirements. Willow Deity's dao emphasized a natural feeling, requiring one to be compatible with one's mental state. The current Shi Hao was clearly not suitable.
Shi Hao went on his way. He bid farewell to Stone Village, and all the villagers came out to see him off.
"Goodbye." He disappeared into the boundless great wastelands.
The little pagoda went with him, still hanging from his hair. Based on what it said, it was also going to witness the great calamity, and see just how different it was this time.
The wind blew past. Ape cries and tiger roars rang out within the primordial mountain range. All types of vicious birds spread their wings and soared into the sky. They were all restless, becoming more and more uneasy.
In the past few days, all types of strange things have happened. This was especially the case when great void cracks appeared in this world from time to time as if some enormous creature was about to descend.
In this chaotic world, everyone was fighting for a prize. Shi Hao looked into the sky, stepping on his own path against the wind.
Half a month later, Shi Hao entered Stone Country's western border. He wanted to find a few old friends, and at the same time, he wanted to travel the world to see this great calamity clearly.
This world became more and more oppressive. Sometimes, it was clear skies for tens of thousands of miles, yet it suddenly trembled intensely, releasing thunderous sounds, and great cracks appeared in the void.
Finally, this day arrived. After a muffled sound, the world seemed to tremble, and then it became incomparably intense as if heaven and earth were being re-established. All life trembled.
A strange loud sound rang through the air. This was the deviation of the great Dao's trajectory, and there was a momentary pause. The whole world seemed to have frozen.
Then, all of the cultivators raised their heads, gazing into the sky. Their faces paled. The sky was splitting apart, carried out by an unmovable will.
With a boom, the sky split open, and endless divine light rushed down. There was also a boundless divine aura, and it was captured by countless creatures. All of them were enlightened.
The great calamity was about to begin, but many cultivators were stupefied after capturing the fragments of natural laws that didn't belong to this world. It was as if they were enlightened and were about to gain an epiphany.
That wasn't a simple gate but rather an inverted volcano that surged with auspicious multicolored light. It was boundless and dazzling.
Dang!
A long and drawn-out bell sound rang out through the horizon, resounding through every corner of the wasteland region. No matter how large this region was, there was no way to avoid it. All of it was cleansed by the bell waves.
Shi Hao's mind was shaken. He looked at the sky in disbelief.
A great bell slowly descended, appearing from the inverted volcanic crater. It was simple and natural. With a light shake, ripples visible to the naked eye spread out, engulfing the boundless great wastelands.
"How could it be this?!" The little pagoda immediately let out a strange cry and concealed its aura. It was like a stone without the slightest fluctuation, no longer resembling a magical artifact.
This bell was so shocking. Dense multicolored light surged around it, and immortal light released in tens of thousands of streaks. Auspicious colors continuously blossomed, surrounding the boundless great earth. Nothing could compare to it.
Symbols lit up on the bell wall one after another as if they were sacrificial texts. They rang out unhurriedly with the sound of the bell, announcing to the world and ringing in the ears of all living things, reaching their minds.
That cryptic and profound voice was like the voice of a taboo existence that had existed since ancient times. Even though there was no one there, it was as if a gaze had swept through the entire world and pierced through the long river of time.
The sacrificial text was grand, carrying an ancient feeling and a type of sadness. This was completely different from what Shi Hao and the little pagoda had predicted. No one came down. It was a bell.
Meanwhile, it was clear that this wasn't the end but only the beginning.
Another muffled sound rang out. The trajectory seemed to have deviated again. Another object descended, appearing from the inverted volcanic crater with brilliant multicolored light.
Why is it here?!" Shi Hao was shocked. He couldn't believe his eyes.